Music Playlist: Songs About The Moon

The Moon has inspired mankind from the beginning of our existence. Although the word “moon” can represent any natural satellite that orbits a planet, when we talk about “The Moon” we are speaking of the only Earth orbiting celestial body, sometimes called “Luna”. The Moon is about 384,500 kilometers (238,930 miles) from the Earth and has a diameter of 3,476 kilometres (2,160 miles).

It has a synchronous rotation with Earth, which means that one side of the Moon (the “near side”) is permanently turned towards Earth. The other side is of course, “The Dark Side of The Moon”. I think we’re all familiar with the album of the same name by Pink Floyd, which also has the distinciton of being the album that has spent the most time on the Billboard charts. It has been on the “The Billboard 200” chart for over 25 years and it continues to sell about 8000 copies every week! The power of the moon is a mysterious power indeed.

The fascination with the Moon started long before Pink Floyd. It has been the inspiration for poetry, paintings, songs and even whole religions over the history of man. Every human that’s ever lived has looked upon the moon and pondered it, as well as our own existence. Many believe that a 5,000 year old rock carving found at Knowth, Ireland represents the Moon, in which case, it is the earliest depiction yet discovered. Most certainly, songs were sung even then about this mysterious object in the sky.

Some ancient lunar dieties include Selene, Phobe, Artemis, Luna, Diana, Nana, Thoth, Tsuki-yomi and Tecciztecati. There is much folklore associated with the Moon including that it’s responsible for insanity. Thus the words “lunatic” or “loony”.

Even today, after we have walked on the Moon and know exactly what it is, it continues to be and always will be, a great inspiration to songwriters across the world.

That’s a few more anyway. I can think of
many more but don’t see a need to keep
listing them honestly.

Ken Boff

Fly Me to the Moon – Tony Bennett

http://paperfrigate.blogspot.com DrPat

Moon Over Miami – Eddy Duchin. (Duchin also wrote “I Cover the Waterfront,” used so effectively in the movie Joe Versus the Volcano.

http://www.morethings.com/senate Al Barger

You missed perhaps the most obvious song about the moon, “Song About the Moon” by Paul Simon, from the criminally underappreciated Hearts and Bones album. It is advice for aspiring songwriters who find themselves stuck. Well, write a song about the moon.

Also, “Moonlight Mile” by the Rolling Stones

http://paperfrigate.blogspot.com DrPat

Oh, and Moonlight Becomes You – Jimmy Van Heusen. Bing Crosby performed this classic as his signature piece.

http://paperfrigate.blogspot.com DrPat

Plus, Howling at the Moon – The Ramones.

HW Saxton

ALSO:

Hank Williams – Howling At The Moon

Little Richard –
By The Light Of The Silvery Moon

Bill Monroe – Blue Moon Of Kentucky

Leon Redbone – Shine On Harvest Moon

Jonathan King –
Everyone’s Gone To The Moon

Howling Wolf – Coon On The Moon

http://dumpsterbust.blogspot.com/ Eric Berlin

Moonlight Drive – The Doors… great great tune

Man on the Moon – REM

Fly Me to the Moon was played at my wedding when I took my wife for a spin… nice song.

I must second Al on “Song About the Moon” and indeed the entire album of Hearts and Bones. Some of Paul Simon’s most evocative poetic imagery is found therein.

“If you want to write a song about the moon
Walk along the craters in the afternoon
When the shadows are deep and the light is alien
And gravity leaps like a knife off the pavement . . .”

In trying to find out whether I’d heard these lyrics correctly (because most of the Web’s “lyrics sites” seem to have them wrong), I found an interesting excerpt from an out-of-print book where Simon talks about his songwriting process, which I hope some of you might enjoy.

Duane

As the Moon Speaks to the Waves of the Sea — Captain Beyond

Lunar Sea — Camel

Mad Man Moon — Genesis

Sasha

Claire de Lune- Claude Debussy
Song to the Moon from Rusalka- Antonin Dvorak
Moonlight Sonata (Claro de Luna)- Beethoven

Me and the Moon- Something Corporate
The Killing Moon- Echo and the Bunnymen
Honey and the Moon- Joseph Arthur

http://none.com Bob A. Booey

How could you all forget the ultimate song about the moon (well sort-of)?

When the stars make you drool
Joost-a like pasta fazool
That’s amore
When you dance down the street
With a cloud at your feet, you’re in love
When you walk in a dream
But you know you’re not dreamin’, signore
‘Scusami, but you see
Back in old Napoli, that’s amore

(When the moon hits your eye)
(Like a big-a pizza pie, that’s amore)

That’s amore

(When the world seems to shine
(Like you’ve had too much wine, that’s amore)

When the stars make you drool just like pasta fazool
That’s amore (that’s amore)
When you dance down the street
With a cloud at your feet, you’re in love
When you walk in a dream
But you know you’re not dreaming, signore
‘Scusami, but you see
Back in old Napoli, that’s amore

Help – there was a song in the early nineties the said something like “It’s like (putting) (or something like that) on the moon. A female sang it – WHAT was the name of that song?

http://gohah.blogspot.com GoHah

Essential: “Marquee Moon” by Television–featuring a building-up crescendoing of fantastic and tensely scary guitar interplay between Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd (“I remember how the darkness doubled, I recall lightning struck itself/ I was listenin, listenin’ to the rain, I was hearin’, hearin’, something else/ . . . All this time with the Marquee Moon, but just waitin'”

Also: not strictly about the moon, bt Tom Waits has a great line in “Bad Liver and A Broken Heart”: “No, the moon ain’t romantic, it’s intimidating as hell.”

GoHah

(oops, sorry: Marquee Moon previously mentioned by HW Saxton)

moonchild

hey wait . . . Moonchild was originally recorded by King Crimson . . .

http://moon larry

my fave is moonlight sonata. beau beautiful piano solo moon

Brian Johnson

There’s also:

Desert Moon – Dennis DeYoung

Celeste

HELP!!!
Can anyone send me the lyrics of “Song to the Moon” from Rusalka? (Dvorak) It is without a doubt the most passionate and evocative of all moon songs! English version please!!!
Cheers, Celeste